Sept 8 (ST) Rugby is on a resurgence mode is what we like to think and hear. There is no doubt that at schools and club games the crowds are more than what it was. We are due to host the Asian under 19 division 2 tournaments in Colombo. The National Sevens team has taken wing to Borneo and will take part in the Asian Sevens circuit. If we are to look at our strengths the sevens is an area that we should try and shine. The juniors are the feed for the future of rugby. more..

Sept 8 (CT) The transmission of two illegal radio stations, which engaged in election campaigning in the Eastern Province, have been brought to the notice of the Election Commissioner, Mahinda Deshapriya. The two illegal radio stations have been regularly carrying statements and speeches made by former Chief Minister of Eastern Province, Sivanesathruai Chandrakanthan alias Pillaiyan and Deputy Minister M.L.M. Hisbullah, more..

Sept 8 (Island) A separate unit should be established in the Attorney General�s Department to deal with cases pertaining to the abuse and rape of children and women, the UNP said. UNP MP Rosy Senanayake told The Island that currently cases drag on for years and a child who had been sexually abused at around four years of age, as had been happening in the recent past, would have to endure the trauma for another ten years or more because Court proceedings tend to drag on. more..

Sept 8 (Island) In a bid to implement the National Languages Policy, the Commissioners of Govt Languages and the Human Rights have informed the Cosmetic Devises and Drug Regulatory Authority (CDDRA) that all instructions pertaining to medicinal drugs, cosmetics, pharmaceutical items and the medical devises should be published in all three languages with effect from January 2013. Currently all instructions pertaining to medicinal drugs, cosmetics and medical devises had more..

Sept 8 (TOO) From a multitude of cricketing stars none shone more than Duleep Mendis, like the 'Evening Star.' To say precisely, his name has been printed in gold in the annals of cricketing history. Unassuming, soft spoken Duleep Mendis has been an ornament to cricket like a perfectly cut diamond. The former Sri Lanka captain has rendered most of his time to cricket as a more..

Sept 8 (Hindu) The Vishwa Hindu Parishad working president, S. Vedantham, has cautioned that the growing relationship between China and Sri Lanka would be a threat to India. He said the growing relationship and military ties between Sri Lanka and China would pose potential threat to India as the communist nation had its presence in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and was occupying a vast Indian territory. Against this backdrop, the proposal to have joint military exercise with China more..

Sept 8 (Island) Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena, speaking for the first time on the Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown Aetiology (CKDu), urged farmers in the Polonnaruwa District to find alternatives to chemical based fertiliser. Minister Sirisena had met the farmers of the Polonnaruwa district on Wednesday. The spokesman said Western countries had curtailed the use of agro-chemicals and pesticides after having introduced it to the third world. more..

Sept 8 (DN) Tamil Nadu Chamber of Commerce and Industries (TNCCI) requested the Sri Lankan govt to lift its travel advisory on Sri Lankans visiting Tamil Nadu. External Affairs Ministry said they will lift the travel advisory if the situation in Tamil Nadu improves in favour of Sri Lankan citizens. Ministry Secretary Karunathilaka Amunugama said the Sri Lankan High Commission in New Delhi is studying the situation in more..

Sept 8 (Island) UNP and Opposition Leader Ranil Wicikremesinghe says that the relationship between the Lankan Govt and Tamil Nadu state is at a very low ebb and it has the potential to break up the historic ties between the people of the two lands. In a statement condemning the recent attack on a group of pilgrims to Tamil Nadu, the UNP leader says that there were some govt ministers who describe Tamil Nadu political leaders as members of the LTTE organization. more..

Sept 8 (Island) The Examinations Department yesterday released the revised district and all island ranks separately for the new and old syllabi of the GCE (A/L) examination 2011. Commissioner General of Examinations W.M.N.J. Pushpakumara said that it was done according to an order of the Supreme Court to calculate district and island ranks separately for two syllabi. He said that the ranks would be available on www.doenets.lk website. He said that 294,000 students sat the exam more..

Sept 8 (CI) Federation of International Cricketers Associations (FICA) has said it will deter players from taking part in the 2013 Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL) unless tournament organisers honour the bank guarantees clause in player contracts. FICA CEO Tim May said his organisation had made repeated requests for proof of the bank guarantees, but SLC and their promotions partner Somerset more..

Sept 8 (AT) Pure Gold, the reputed and award winning multinational jeweller based in Dubai, has arrived in Sri Lanka. �We warmly welcome Pure Gold Group to Sri Lanka. Their entry strongly enhances our gold industry profile. Pure Gold�s initial investment here is $ 50 Mn� revealed minister Rishad Bathiudeen. He said this in the aftermath of his meeting with Firoz Merchant, Chairman of Pure Gold Group, Dubai, UAE on 4th of Sept at the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, more..

Sept 8 (DN) The Exposition of the Sacred Kapilavasthu Relics will be held at Gangarama temple in Hunupitiya- Colombo from today to Sept 10, Colombo District Secretary Kamal Padmasiri said. The public can pay homage to the Sacred Relics from noon today to 6 pm on Sept 10. Hundreds of thousands of devotees lined up in queues for long hours to pay homage to Sacred Kapilawasthu Relics at the Tissamaharama Rajamaha Viharaya. more..

Sept 8 (Island) A total of 3,073 candidates, from several political parties and independent groups are in the fray for 114 seats in three Provincial Councils � North-Central, Eastern and Sabaragamuwa - to which election will be held today. The North-Central Province will elect 33 members from the 336 candidates contesting from the Anuradhapura District and 208 from the Polonnaruwa District along with five and seven independent groups respectively. more..

Sept 8 (DC) The Madras high court on Friday ordered notice to the state govt and the DGP on a petition which sought to dispose a representation to inquire the team headed by Opposition leader in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, which visited Sri Lanka on April 16 and arrest Sri Lankan minister Douglas Devananda, an absconding accused in a murder case here. Justice N. Paul Vasanthakumar admitted the petition from A. Irulandi, a human rights activist from Meenambalpuram in Madurai, more..

Sept 8 (DM) The state-owned TV channels, compelled to cancel some of their programmes on the provincial council elections after the Elections Department intervened in this matter. Political parties and independent groups contesting the election were required to cease their propaganda activities from Wednesday midnight. However, complaints were lodged with Elections Commissioner Mahinda Desapriya that more..

Sept 8 (CT) The Federation of University Teachers Associations (FUTA) has started a fund with the main objective of providing financial assistance to the FUTA members who face financial difficulties. Media Spokesman of FUTA Dr. Mahim Mendis said that the FUTA Activity and Welfare Fund was set up to provide financial assistance to the FUTA members who face financial difficulties due to the non-payment of their salaries more..

Sept 8 (Island) A 68-year-old lawyer was hammered to death, early yesterday morning, by his 21-year-old mistress, who was living with him in a house at Athurugiriya. The lawyer, Wilson Jayawardene, had been stabbed by his mistress following a dispute. They had been living in the house for six months. The woman was arrested by the police and would be produced before the Kaduwela Magistrate today. The lawyer was a married man whose wife and children were living separately. more..

Sept 8 (USDS) Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert O. Blake will be visiting Sri Lanka, from September 12 to 14. He will meet with Minister of External Affairs GL Peiris and other senior Sri Lankan officials to discuss a wide range of issues, including progress in implementing the LLRC Action Plan. Assistant Secretary Blake will also hold a roundtable with civil society representatives and meet with business community leaders at the American Chamber of Commerce in Colombo, by a press conference at the American Center. more..

Sept 8 (Island) The police are looking for about 20 accomplices of the Chinese national who swallowed a diamond worth Rs. 1.8 million at a gem and jewellery exhibition at the BMICH on Wednesday. The Chinese national now in custody for stealing the gem from Belgrade International stall belonged to an international gang of racketeers. The man in custody is Chow Cheng (32). He had visited the stall with an accomplice who ran away when the theft was discovered. more..

Sept 8 (EAR) The Sri Lankan High Commissioner to India Prasad Kariyawasam has blamed �fringe pro-LTTE groups� in the state of Tamil Nadu for the violence against visiting Sri Lankans, but underlined it will not affect robust ties or the visit of President Mahinda Rajapaksa to India later this month. �It�s an unfortunate aberration, especially given very warm and robust relations between India and Sri Lanka,� The High Commissioner has told this to more..

Sept 8 (DM) After a campaign during which more than 300 incidents of election law violations and violence were reported, elections will take place today to the Eastern, North-Central and Sabaragamuwa Provincial Councils. Opposition leaders and independent analysts believe that most people -- struggling for survival because of the soaring cost of living and the devastating drought � did not want these early elections. more..

Sept 8 (DBS) Jaffna described as the cultural capital of the Sri Lankan Tamils has for decades been a war affected region. The absence of military conflict in recent times has afforded an opportunity for the ravaged people to re-build their battered lives. Many hands of concern and amity have been extended in friendship towards the North as its denizens strive to restore tranquility and harmony into their shattered society. more..

Sept 8 (CG) Established in 1993 with a membership of just 20, the Alumni Organisation of the University of Colombo is proud to state that over 500 members belong to the Organisation, including well established professionals, in various fields. The upcoming felicitation of high achieving graduates i.e. Abhinandana for their achievements and other imminent professionals �Guru Upahara�, who were at Colombo University is scheduled to more..

Sept 8 (Island) Director of General Staff, Major General Jagath Alwis on Tuesday told media in Colombo, that the third Joint Special Operation Forces exercise titled �Cormorant Strike 2012�, which is to be held from September 10 to 25, was aimed at achieving various targets and objectives after the end of the three-decade war. The main objective of the joint exercise was to improve mutual understanding among the tri-forces and more..

Sept 8 (AP) Sri Lankans voted Saturday in a provincial assembly election seen as a test of whether ethnic minority Tamils still want self-rule or are satisfied with govt-led economic development in a region devastated by a quarter-century civil war. As of noon, only small numbers of voters had turned out at polling booths in Batticaloa, one of three districts in Eastern Province. Voters were electing 35 members of more..

Sept 8 (Island) President Mahinda Rajapaksa said yesterday that he was not ready to hold discussions with striking university teachers unless they stopped their strike. He said that as a govt, several steps had been taken to solve the university teachers� problems, but they had not taken them into consideration and continued with the strike. "I�m not ready to discuss with them while they are on strike," Rajapaksa said more..

Sept 8 (CG) The United Nations (UN) has denied reports that it has withdrawn de-mining assistance to Sri Lanka amidst pressure from the military. Reports had emerged over the past several weeks saying that the UN had been asked to suspend its de-mining assistance in the north and hand it over completely to the military. �UNDP�s support to the Govt of Sri Lanka on provision of technical assistance for planning and more..

Sept 8 (DM) Despite assurances from the Higher Education and Education Ministries that A/L paper marking would be carried out without the supervision of university teachers, teachers unions said yesterday that school teachers would not undertake A/L paper marking until the govt resolved the state university crisis. �We will not allow teachers to participate in A/L paper marking until university issues are resolved,� more..

Sept 8 (DM) Parliamentarians from 58 countries who are set to attend the 58th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) conference will be welcomed to visit the North and make their own assessment of the human rights and rule of law in Sri Lanka, the Deputy Speaker Chandima Weerakody said. He told journalists that Sri Lanka had a good track record in these areas but any of the delegates welcome to make their personal comments on this matter. more..

Sept 8 (CG) A US Court has dismissed the case filed by the wife of slain LTTE official Ramesh against the immunity provided to President Mahinda Rajapaksa by the US State Department from being arrested or tried for alleged war crimes. Ramesh�s wife Vathsala Devi had filed the argument at the US District Court in the Southern District of New York on August 23. However a US lawyer said yesterday that more..

Sept 8 (PTI) A low voter turn out today marked Sri Lanka's provincial council polls, seen as a test of President Mahinda Rajapaksa's popularity in the wake of international pressure over alleged human rights violations by the army during the final stages of the war with the LTTE. Election monitoring groups said a low voter turn out was witnessed when polls opened at 7 am (local time). Polls close at 4 pm (local time). more..

Sept 8 (CT) A visiting football team sends out the superficial message: all is well in Sri Lanka. It does not reveal that 4,000 university teachers have been striking for the past two months demanding better wages and greater spending on education, or that the government ordered the closure of all universities last week. It conceals a genocide that claimed 1 lakh Tamil lives in 2009 and a structural racism that marginalises minorities. In enthusiastically supporting the sporting spirit, more..

Sept 8 (CT) It has been the practice of parents in the past to warn children to be careful of strangers and to avoid or run away from them as far as possible. Unfortunately, in a fast changing world, things have changed so swiftly and traumatically for the worse where sexual abuse, violence and crime against children are concerned. The moral standards of the society in which kids are born and brought up have eroded to such an extent that most of the more..

Sept 8 (CT) In July 2012, Colombo Telegraph exposed how a leaked UN email suggests that UN money went to LTTE. Another leaked UN email suggests that the FAO Representative, Patrick Evans and the Assistant FAO Representative (Administration), Dihan Hettige was fully aware of the LTTE connections in this US $ 1.5 million fraud. The FAO in Sri Lanka purchased project deliveries for the Northern and more..

Sept 8 (DM) The Elections Department says the voter turn-out at the Provincial Council polls that ended about an hour ago is about 50%, although a slightly lower figure of around 43% to 46% was recorded from the Sabaragamuwa province. Meanwhile, the Elections Complaints Investigation Center (ECIC) said it received 117 complaints of election violence within the course of the day. An official of the ECIC said the highest number of complaints had been reported from Ratnapura. more..

Sept 8 (CG) The navy today arrested 146 people heading to Australia by boat illegally. Two multi-day fishing trawlers named �Theres Nilusha� and Mangala� were spotted heading to Australia 20 nautical miles east of Trincomalee in the early hours of today. The navy intercepted the trawlers and brought them to the Trincomalee harbour with 146 people including 132 Tamils, 10 Sinhalies and 04 Muslims on board. Among those arrested were 107 males, 16 women and 23 children. more..

Sept 8 (CG) The diamond swallowed by a Chinese man last week during the Gem and Jewellery exhibition at the BMICH has been taken out, the police said today. SSP Ajith Rohana said that the diamond has now been sent to the Gem and Jewellery authority to verify if it is a genuine or fake diamond. The Chinese national was arrested and handed over to the Kurunduwatte police after he was seen swallowing the diamond at a stall more..

Sept 8 (LBO) Tourist traffic between Sri Lanka and Vietnam could be boosted with direct air links which can cut travel time and ticket costs helping make the destination competitive. "In July a new air services agreement was reached," Vietnam's ambassador Ton Sinh Thanh said during an even in Colombo to mark the country's national day. The bilateral air services agreement could pave the way for direct flights or a code-share deal with SriLankan Airlines and Vietnam Airlines, more..

Sept 8 (PTI) CPI-M state unit today charged the Centre with failing to take any steps to protect Tamils' interests and to find a political solution to their problems in Sri Lanka despite the elimination of the LTTE in 2009. Though three years had passed since LTTE was wiped out and Tamils put up in camps, their suffering continued and the UPA government had failed to find a political solution or rehabilitate them, Party's state secretary G Ramakrishnan told more..